Ganged connector system

a ganged connector and connector technology, applied in the direction of coupling devices, two-part coupling devices, coupling device connections, etc., can solve the problems of increasing the difficulty of cooling the system, exacerbate the cooling issue, and the difficulty of existing ganged solutions that used a continuous cage system

Active Publication Date: 2015-03-26
MOLEX INC
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent is about a connector system that includes multiple cages, each containing a housing with at least one port. The cages are placed close enough together to have a small gap between them. The system also includes a thermal washer which has air openings to allow air to flow between the gaps. The thermal washer can seal against a bezel and is designed to engage the front of the cage. The technical effects of the invention are improved heat dissipation and protection of the connectors from damage.

Problems solved by technology

One issue that has arisen due to the increased number of ports is that it has become more difficult to cool the system.
This cooling issue is further exacerbated by the fact that the modules being positioned in the ports are increasing requiring to be active (e.g., power consuming) components compared to the passive components that were frequently used in the past.
Thus, existing ganged solutions that used a continuous cage system are becoming difficult to use due to thermal performance issues.

Method used

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Examples

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Embodiment Construction

[0012]The detailed description that follows describes exemplary embodiments and is not intended to be limited to the expressly disclosed combination(s). Therefore, unless otherwise noted, features disclosed herein may be combined together to form additional combinations that were not otherwise shown for purposes of brevity.

[0013]FIGS. 1-6 illustrate features that may be incorporated into a ganged connector system 10. A circuit board 40 supports a plurality of housing 15 that are positioned side by side in spaced apart configuration with a plurality of cages 20 positioned around each housing 15 so that the housings are each separately enclosed. As can be appreciated, there is gap 17 between the adjacent exterior walls 21 of each adjacent cage 20, the gap 17 providing a predetermined distance between adjacent cages 20.

[0014]The cages 20 (and the corresponding housing 15) as depicted each provide a first port 28a and a second port 28b, the two ports being in a stacked configuration. It...

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Abstract

A connector system includes a plurality of housing mounted on a circuit board and a plurality of cages are provided, each cage enclosing one of the housings, each of the cages including a front face that defines a first port, the cages being spaced apart a predetermined distance. A thermal washer is positioned around the cages, the thermal washer including a front portion and a main portion with air apertures that allow air to flow through the thermal washer and along a gap between the cages.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 642,771, filed May 4, 2012, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to the field of input / output (IO) connectors, more specifically to IO connectors in a ganged configuration.DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART[0003]The use of IO connectors is known. One typical application is a server or switch. In order to provide a sufficient number of IO ports, it is common to provide multiple IO connectors side by side in what is referred to as a ganged configuration. The use of ganged connectors decreases the space between connectors so that for a given width of switch it is possible to have additional ports. One issue that has arisen due to the increased number of ports is that it has become more difficult to cool the system. This cooling issue is further exacerbated by the fact that the modules being positioned in the ports are i...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & AuthorityApplications(United States)
IPC IPC(8): H01R12/71H01R24/00H01R13/6582
CPCH01R12/71H01R24/00H01R13/6582H01R13/502H01R13/518H01R13/6586H01R13/659H01R12/722H01R25/006H01R13/648
InventorKACHLIC, JERRY D.DAMBACH, PHILIP J.BANAKIS, EMANUEL G.
OwnerMOLEX INC